METAL IN MOTION: The France Pavilion features several 58-cm-tall humanoid robots called Nao. Nicknamed "little genius," they can sing, dance, play jazz and football (LI BAISHUN)

Have you ever seen a ball powered by a cheering crowd? In the "Energy Source" area of the Germany Pavilion, a huge interactive metal sphere weighing over 1.23 tons and measuring about 3 meters in diameter is making waves. When spectators shout at the top of their lungs and clap their hands, this ball starts to swing and sway. It's then that 400,000 LED lights on the ball's surface radiate a colorful and spectacular display of images.

Inside Saudi Arabia's pavilion, visitors can explore and experience the country's magnificent beauty along with its natural and cultural treasures on a 1,600-square-meter IMAX 3D screen – one of the world's largest.

Over the course of its history, the Expo has always showcased the latest inventions and hi-tech products and designs, ranging from the steam engine and telegraph displayed at the first London World Expo in 1851 to Toyota's robot band at the Aichi Expo in 2005.

According to Zhou Hanmin, Deputy Director of the Executive Committee for this year's Expo in Shanghai, a new industrial revolution is underway. The World Expo has already witnessed the First Industrial Revolution, the Second Industrial Revolution and the Information Revolution; the hi-tech products on display in Shanghai will usher in a new, low-carbon industrial revolution.

The low-carbon Expo

With its motto of "Better City, Better Life," the Shanghai Expo promotes concepts of ecological urban development and environmental protection. The latest hi-tech products there are what make a "green and low-carbon expo" possible.

●Spanning 5.8 square km, the expo site has become the largest adopter of solar energy in China, as 4.68-MW solar power generators have been put into operation. These save 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. It is the nation's largest solar photovoltaic demonstration area.

●The Shanghai Expo is populated with zero-emission vehicles. Altogether, 1,017 new energy vehicles, including fuel cell, electric and hybrid cars, are available for use inside and outside the expo grounds. Compared to traditional cars, it is estimated that these efforts will save about 10,000 tons of fuel and reduce harmful substance emissions by 118 tons. Around 28,400 tons of greenhouse gas emissions will also be reduced.

●LED lamps account for more than 80 percent of the lighting at the Expo, with power savings of up to 90 percent as compared to ordinary incandescent lamps.

●All garbage on site is treated with an air-pressure garbage collection system. Rainwater collection and reuse systems are also employed at the Expo.